ABOUT THE SEMINARS

The Photo School Seminars

Photo School Seminars is a programme for secondary school students, delivered in a secondary school setting.

The Seminars have been established to encourage students to develop their photographic potential, forming the basis of continued exploration and skill development. The Seminars provide students with the high quality photographic experiential learning that schools have come to expect from our programmes, including camera handling, use of the camera as a creative tool, insight into the life of a professional photographer and careers in the photographic industry.

Each programme involves lectures, exercises and practical demonstrations. Seminar manuals and projects are provided to encourage the continuing development of technical and visual discipline and to provide an ongoing learning and reference resource. We provide the opportunity to learn from the enthusiasm and experience of one of New Zealand’s most accomplished photographers, while working amongst friends, sharing ideas and inspiration.

Digital versions of Photo Fun Day and Developing Creative Potential are now available. For digital Developing Creative Potential, schools must provide students with a digital Single Lens Reflex camera or a “point and shoot” digital camera, which has the ability to change modes (e.g. landscape/night scene/sport modes). It is essential when booking a digital photography seminar that you are able to indicate camera availability.

Benji Wick

Benji Wick

PHOTO FUN DAY

Photo Fun Day is a one-day seminar designed specifically to introduce junior secondary school students to photography as a career option, while giving hands-on camera experience.

Photo Fun Day is available on either the film or digital platform. On the film platform, students experience developing film and printing photographs in our portable dark room. On the digital platform, students experience theor work on the big screen and receive a CD of their images to take away.

The seminar is suitable for beginners only and enables students to actively participate in a variety of photographic activities. Students require no previous photographic knowledge or any photographic equipment to participate.

CAMERA AND DARKROOM

Camera and Darkroom is a two day seminar, designed to help develop technical skills for using the photographic process more expressively. This seminar is suitable for beginners to intermediate level photographers who want to improve their camera handling skills and knowledge necessary to work more effectively in the darkroom.

The programme includes exercises in camera handling and operation. It covers a variety of techniques for exposing and developing the best possible negatives in order to produce full-tonal range black and white prints.

DEVELOPING CREATIVE POTENTIAL

Developing Creative Potential is a two day seminar designed to explore the visual and expressive potential of the photographic medium. This seminar is suitable for those already proficient in camera handling and operation, who wish to acquire new perspectives and skills for advancing their photographic work.

Developing Creative Potential is now available on either the film or digital platform. On the film platform, students work in colour transparency film, developed in our portable E6 processing machine, mounted as slides, which they keep, and projected on the big screen. On the digital platform, students learning how to download and save images from their camera, see their work projected on the big screen and recieve a CD of their images to take away.

For digital Developing Creative Potential, schools must provide students with a digital SLR camera or a "point and shoot" digital camera with a variety of shooting modes.

This seminar gets beyond the technincal aspects of photography and into areas of visual sensitivity. It will help students to develop ideas and techniques for encouraging inspiration and establishing a personal style. Lectures and practical exercises will explore visual perception and help to establish a personal photographic vocabulary.

Seminars can be purchased through Star funding under Short Courses. If you elect to fund our seminars through the STAR funding programme, you may report this in Section B of the STAR Funding Report Form, as a Short Introductory Course.

APPROACH TO DELIVERY

1. Lectures and Practical Demonstrations - presenting a range of both individual and group learning activities.

2. Audio and Visual Presentations - blend classical and contemporary music together with pictures, words and colours.

3. Projects and Manuals - involving record sheets, diagrams, cue cards and comprehensive technical information for students to take away for future reference and learning.

4. Refreshments - designed to segment the programme with regular ten minute breaks each hour with drinks and snacks provided.

5. Questionnaire and Certificates - student activities continue after the seminar completion date with project review and questionnaire activities. All students successfully completing the seminar receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Digital Seminar Delivery

Photo Fun Day and Developing Creative Potential seminars are both available as digital photography programmes.

This allows students to explore and experiment with their image making in-camera and without the restrictions typically experienced with film.